Supreme Commander

MacArthur's Triumph in Japan

About the Book

Seymour Morris Jr. combines political history, military biography, and business management to tell the story of General Douglas MacArthur's tremendous success in rebuilding Japan after World War II in Supreme Commander, a lively, in-depth work of biographical history complementary to The Generals, The Storm of War, and Truman.

He is the most decorated general in American history—and the only five five-star general to receive the Medal of Honor. Yet Douglas MacArthur's greatest victory was not in war but in peace.

As the uniquely titled Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, he was charged with transforming a defeated, militarist empire into a beacon of peace and democracy—“the greatest gamble ever attempted,” he called it. A career military man, MacArthur had no experience in politics, diplomacy, or economics. A vain, reclusive, and self-centered man, his many enemies in Washington thought he was a flaming peacock, and few, including President Harry Truman's closest advisors, gave him a chance of succeeding. Yet MacArthur did so brilliantly, defying timetables and expectations.

Supreme Commander tells for the first time, the story of how MacArthur's leadership achieved a nation-building success that had never been attempted before—and never replicated since. Seymour Morris Jr. reveals this flawed man at his best who treated a defeated enemy with respect; who made informed and thoughtful decisions yet could be brash and stubborn when necessary, and who lead the Occupation with intelligence, class, and compassion.

Morris analyzes MacArthur's key tactical choices, explaining how each contributed to his accomplishment, and paints a detailed picture of a true patriot—a man of conviction who proved to be an outstanding and effective leader in the most extraordinary circumstances.

Educator and Librarian Resources

Critical Praise

“Morris tells in dramatic fashion how this ultimate warrior, almost overnight, became the ultimate peacemaker, turning a devastated, militarized Japan into a functioning democracy in five years without firing a shot.” — James Bamford, author of Body of Secrets and The Shadow Factory

“A fascinating study of the greatest success of Douglas MacArthur, one of the most consequential and controversial Americans of the twentieth century.” — Gautam Mukunda, author of Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter

“Seymour Morris Jr. has done General MacArthur’s reputation a great favor by spotlighting his now nearly forgotten service as the American viceroy in postwar Japan. With entertaining prose and good research, he shows us how MacArthur brilliantly midwifed devastated Japan’s rebirth as a modern, democratic state.” — John Steele Gordon, author of Empire of Wealth

“The story he tells is a fascinating one” — The New York Times Book Review

“MacArthur was more right than wrong as the post-war ruler of occupied Japan. A very readable and instructional treatment of a misunderstood figure. ” — Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff

“This remarkable book tells us how America -- and a great general -- revealed to the world that peace can be waged as triumphantly -- and far more creatively -- than war.” — Thomas Fleming, author of A New Understanding of the Civil War

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